


The Elucidation of Lines

by Magi_Silverwolf



Series: Shades of the Past [11]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Betrayal, Gen, Manipulative Dumbledore, Mentions of Background Relationships, teaser
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-16
Updated: 2017-09-16
Packaged: 2018-12-30 09:12:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12105459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Magi_Silverwolf/pseuds/Magi_Silverwolf
Summary: There are worse things than death.





	The Elucidation of Lines

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own the original canon nor am I making any profit from writing this piece. All works are accredited to their original authors, performers, and producers while this piece is mine. No copyright infringement is intended. I acknowledge that all views and opinions expressed herein are merely my interpretations of the characters and situations found within the original canon and may not reflect the views and opinions of the original author(s), producer(s), and/or other people.
> 
> Warnings: This story may contain material that is not suitable for all audiences and may offend some readers.
> 
> Author’s Note: Before I get comments/reviews about it, it is not actually canon that James Potter was an auror. That’s not even apocrypha (stated by JK Rowling somewhere other than the books). It’s fanon.

-= LP =-

 _The Lines of Ogham_ Teaser:

The Elucidation of Lines

-= LP =-

“Dying is easy, young man. Living is harder.” – General George Washington of _Hamilton_

-= LP =-

 

Alastor refused to acknowledge the headmaster as he approached the spot where Alastor had been standing guard since arriving. The door beside him stayed shut and locked, his own protective ward layered over the default ones on all of St. Mungo’s doors. Just below his hearing, the privacy ward buzzed, and it felt like a gnat begging to be swatted. Alastor held his stance, a comfortably loose one that looked relaxed but allowed for the greatest range of reactive measures should he need them.

 

In the wake of an uneven battle, his body ached. When he had gone the meeting place in response to Alice’s distress call, he had been expecting to have his best aurors as back-up. The Longbottoms were the kind of Dream Duo that legends got made of, brought to the next level by the huge disparities in their individual fighting styles instead of it being a detraction. If Potter had gone into the Department, perhaps he and Black could have given them competition, but as it was the pair was the best team he had ever trained, and the closest to his own children he would probably ever have. He would willingly march into to Hell for them; he just wasn’t expecting to do it without them at his flank. Facing all three Lestranges and their lackey while the Longbottoms could do little more than twitch on the ground made for a hard battle, despite the fact that the War had officially been over for a full fortnight.

 

Alastor’s right hand tightened around the customized lighter—his own work, something he was planning to call a Deluminator if he decided to market them to the general public. He had found it in Alice’s hand once he had subdued the Death Eaters, despite the fact that it should have been in the headmaster’s possession. The warlock had borrowed it the day following the Potters’ death—citing the need to move their son in secret; had that even been true? Alastor hated that he was questioning the motivations of a man he had fought beside, who had earned Alastor’s respect as a duelist and leader. He _hated_ it, but he hadn’t lived this long by denying what evidence declared.

 

“Alastor, my dear boy,” Albus greeted. The man’s blue eyes did not twinkle as they weighed him, a sign that Alastor knew meant that he was scheming. He knew how he must look, still in the battered and bloodied clothing he had worn during the fight. Alastor could feel the battle haze pulsing through him, enhancing the growing feeling of betrayal. “I came as soon as I heard. How are Mr. Longbottom and Miss Diore?”

 

“They’re married, Albus,” Alastor snapped, choosing to ignore that Albus tended to not use titles for any of the Order as a matter of course. To revert now, and to the _wrong one_ , spoke of a tension that Alastor had missed. Hunting down the loose Death Eaters failed to abate the shame Alastor felt curling in his gut. “They share a surname.”

 

“Of course,” Albus agreed amicably. It was a dodge. Albus was good at those, especially when he didn’t wish to share some secret. “How are they?”

 

“Out of the fight,” Alastor said as neutrally as possible. He only caught the flash of satisfaction in Albus’ eyes because he was watching so closely. _‘Oh, Alice, what made him target you?’_ It was obvious, now that he spared a thought for motivations. Albus wanted to move Harry Potter in secret and after Black, Alice was next in line with the right to raise the boy. His hand tightened again as he thought of the case against Black; the edges of the Deluminator pressed painfully into his hand. Was Black another casualty? Alastor pushed away the thought to continue his report; questionable morality or not, Albus was still the leader Alastor had chosen to follow. “Possibly permanently.”

 

“Pity that we’ve lost another House to this war,” Albus stated. Alastor could tell that phrase was rout, even through the mimicry of sorrow covering it. Albus expected all three Longbottoms to be dead, then. Alastor struck with vindictive pleasure.

 

“All three still live.” Alastor didn’t let Albus react more than his surprised expression. “The Lestranges took their time. It was enough for me to get there. Alice had enough time to hide their boy.”

 

“You _said_ they were out of the fight permanently.” Albus sounded petulant. Alastor would need to grin about that later. Alice had a way of making even the most level of people annoyed beyond all reason. It was a good trait to have as a Hufflepuff.

 

“There _are_ worse things than death, Albus,” Alastor stated. “Tortured into catatonia would certainly qualify. The Cruciatus Curse is Bellatrix’s specialty.”

 

“Of course,” Albus agreed again. “I shall endeavor to remember that.”

 

“The Crouch boy was there as well,” Alastor offered, knowing that Albus wanted Bagnold to stay in power for at least another term and Crouch Senior was the biggest threat to that. Albus grinned at that and shortly after made his excuses to leave. Alastor wished he hadn’t found the Deluminator, that he had remained unaware of the lines Albus was willing to cross to get his way.

**Author's Note:**

> This piece was written for the Houses Competition on the FFN Forums.  
> The Houses Competition Information:  
> House: Hufflepuff  
> Category: Drabble  
> Prompts: Deluminator [object]  
> Word Count: 873 (Actual); 889 (Story plus Epigraph)


End file.
